St. Francis Xavier Relic in Vancouver

1/19/2018

The famous relic of St. Francis Xavier is coming to North America for the first time in generations. Organized by Catholic Christian Outreach, The Archdiocese of Ottawa, and the Jesuits in Canada, the relic is travelling across Canada to celebrate Canada 150 and will be on display in the Lower Mainland for two days. The public veneration at St. Francis Xavier Church in Vancouver on Wednesday, January 24th includes a 7pm Mass with Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB.

From the Catholic Christian Outreach website:

The relic pilgrimage is a gift for the Church in Canada at the close of our 150th anniversary year, bringing the famous relic of St. Francis Xavier to North America for the first time in generations. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to venerate the incorrupt first class relic of one of the greatest missionaries and evangelists since St. Paul the Apostle.

Catholic Christian Outreach has an introduction to St. Francis Xavier:

St. Francis Xavier is considered by many to be the greatest evangelizer since St. Paul. St. Francis Xavier was born in 1506 into Spanish nobility. In 1525, he went to study at the University of Paris where he excelled as an athlete and was very popular among his peers.

His roommate was the older St. Ignatius Loyola, whom he initially despised but who eventually became his mentor in faith. St. Ignatius facilitated St. Francis Xavier’s deeper conversion and his call to the priesthood. They, and a handful of friends, were inspired to found a new religious order: the Society of Jesus.

In 1540, at a moment’s notice, St. Francis Xavier was asked to replace another Jesuit on mission to Asia. He did not hesitate to follow God’s will. He had a charism of languages and could miraculously converse in the native language of those to whom he went. It was important to him that local disciples were raised up and equipped to continue ministering and evangelizing others in the region.

On December 3, 1552, St. Francis Xavier died in Shangchuan Island, within sight of his next mission, mainland China. He was only 46 years old.

CCO goes on to explain why this relic is significant:

This relic is the right forearm and hand of St. Francis Xavier. It is estimated he baptized more than 100,000 people with this arm. This relic remains in a reliquary in Rome at the Jesuit mother church, the Church of the Gesù. The remainder of his body is entombed in Goa, India.

His arm, as well as the rest of his body, is incorrupt. Saints are referred to as incorrupt when their body, miraculously, does not experience natural decay. It has been 465 years since his death.

For more information, please visit cco.ca/relic/

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St. Francis Xavier Relic in Vancouver

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